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Cables measurement equipment (USB testers)

 

​I use the following the best of consumer grade USB testers to test USB cables and chargers:

  • ChargerLab Power-Z KM003C (Amazon), (AliExpress) 

    • The tester can test a wide variety of USB power supply charging protocols, read information from e-maker chip, identify Thunderbolt 3/4/5 cable, online monitoring of voltage, current, power and charging protocol used.

    • UsbC male connector present.

    • Can not check cable pins/wire conductivity and cable resistance.

    • Advanced firmware with detailed PD protocol logs

    • This USB cable tester is used to read eMaker chip parameters, determine USB version, Thunderbolt and PD power rating.

    • Firmware is regularly updating, so the device is up to date and and it's capabilities are increasing over time.

    • This is the best tester in terms of its technical characteristics and capabilities.

    • Documentation and software for Windows

  • FNIRSI-FNB58 USB Tester (Amazon), (AliExpress)

    • The tester can do almost the same thing as the KM003C, but cannot detect Thunderbolt cables and some proprietary charging protocols.

    • The tester is able to test the resistance of the cable! (Using an external load that I made separately).

    • The tester can! measure the resistance of Y-cables (2in1) with a power distribution board (exception Club3D CAC-1527).

    • There is an UsbA output which can be useful in testing.

  • Treedix USB cable tester (Amazon)

    • All standard USB connectors are present in this tester.

    • I use this tester to determine which pins of the cable are connected to determine if the cable can transfer data and what version of USB (2.0/3.0) it supports or if the cable can only be used for low power and 5V charging.

    • The device is fairly simple, lacking e-maker chip detection and charging protocols, but handy for visual evaluation of connected pins.

  • BitTradeOne USB Cable Checker2 (Amazon.com)

    • I purchased this Japanese usb tester for convenience and to speed up the cable testing process since it has a screen.

    • The tester can determine conductivity of wires/contacts (but is visually less convenient than the Treedix)

    • The tester is able to determine cable resistance without external load, which allows to do without UsbA-UsbC adapter (used for FNB58). The resistance value is determined consistently 60mOhm higher than FNB58 (FNB58 is more accurate), so I take into account the 60mOhm correction when testing.

    • The tester cannot measure the resistance of Y-cables (2in1) with a power distribution board (unlike the FNB58).

    • Also the tester shows the presence and value of the resistor installed in the UsbC cables on the CC pin.

    • There is no option to test chargers, only cables.

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Below are simpler testers and cables that are used more for monitoring the charging current through USB cables than for testing cables:

  • KOWSI KWS-X1 (Amazon) (AliExpress)

    • Shows which charging protocol has been set (e.g. PD3.0 20V/4.5A, PPS 8.88V/3A, etc.)

    • It has a gyroscope (provides auto-rotation of the screen) - very convenient

    • Shows voltage levels on D+/D-, C1, C2 lines

    • Displays online monitoring of voltage levels (ripple)

    • Can determine the charging protocols supported by the charger: PD3.0, PPS, PD3.1 (with PD3.1 external cable), AVS (with PD3.1 external cable), QC2.0/3.0, shows if Xiaomi (MI) Hypercharge support is implemented.

    • The tester do not show presence of FCP protocol, but if it is activated during charging it is shows.

    • Protocol testing is not implemented perfectly. On one of the chargers, it was unable to determine PD3.1 support

    • It can read information from the emaker chip of the cable. But reading the e-maker chip of the cable is not implemented perfectly; it was not always read information from a chip.

    • Information from e-maker chip provides information about USB version and PD protocol version.

    • The tester sees if a cable has Thunderbolt support but incorrectly determine it's version. It shows TB4 for any Thunderbolt cable - TB3, TB4 and TB5.

    • The male USB-C plug was unable to trigger PD3.1, but was able to do so through a 240W cable, so for charging protocol testing supported by a charger, always use external cable.

    • There is no separate power input for the tester HID and electronics independent of the tested source.

    • Sink mode (separate switcher) should be used only while charging protocol test for a charger, but this mode prevents advanced protocol triggering (PD3.0, PPS) while charging a device using tester between a charger and charged device.

    • Manual

    • Conclusions. The tester is suitable for convenient visualization of the charging process with indication of the charging protocol, which is extremely useful, but problems with stability in the charging protocol testing mode and reading information from the e-maker chip do not allow this tester to be used as a reliable source of information about the capabilities of chargers and cables.

  • HiDANCE HDC-085C(Amazon) (AliExpress)

    • Compact and affordable tester with a bright, easy-to-read screen

    • The information on the screen can be rotated to either side, which is very convenient

    • Connects between the charger and the device being charged with a cable

    • Shows the power, current and voltage flowing through the connected USB cable. This information can help in determining, at the very least, how much power your device is being charged with.

    • Shows current flow direction (From one plug to another).

  • Essager UsbC wattmeter 240W with screen (AliExpress)

    • A simple and very compact wattmeter for UsbC cables that shows the power with which the UsbC device is charged.

  • UGOURD UsbC wattmeter 240W 40Gbps(Amazon)(AliExpress)

    • A compact UsbC adapter, similar to the model from Essager, but differs from it in that it shows not only power, but also voltage and current by changing alternately the value on the screen. It is a good budget option for controlling the charging process, has an unusual translucent housing.

  • USB cables with screen

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The testers below I haven't purchased yet, but plan to:

ChargerLab Power-Z KM003C USB tester
Fnirsi FNB58 USB tester

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Fast charging protocols and cable detection supported by USB testers

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